RP Moslem youths call for solidarity
JAKARTA (JP): A Philippines delegate at a gathering of ASEAN Moslem youths here calls for solidarity of Islam's younger generation in Southeast Asia, against what he calls "de- Islamization" in his country.
"We are working against the strong tide of de-Islamization," said E. Morced N. Tagitis of the Islamic Da'wah Council of the Philippines, a federation of 82 Moslem organizations in that country.
Most of the educational institutions do not practice religious tolerance, and make Moslem students in non-Moslem schools attend classes on other religions, he said.
"Parents cannot protest. They would have to take their children out of the schools," Tagitis said in the gathering of Moslem youth of Southeast Asia which started Saturday.
The Moslems of the Philippines, concentrated in Mindanao in the south and on Luzon island, lack capital to build their own schools, he said.
"Merely having an Arabic-sounding name may cause you a lot of trouble," said Tagitis. He added that Moslems make up 10 percent of the population of 60 million in the Philippines.
Discrimination is also felt in job-seeking, he said.
"I am very lucky. I am the only Moslem in the construction company where I work in Manila," Tagitis said.
"It is our fervent hope that our brothers who are now gathered here should not view our predicament with great indifference," Tagitis said.
He raised the need for a youth Moslem organization within ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations which groups Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and, the youngest member, Vietnam.
The gathering of 100 participants includes Indonesians from 15 provinces and seven foreign delegates from Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. Thailand's delegates had informed organizers they could not attend.
The five-day event which runs to Aug. 29 is an initiative of RISKA, one of many youth groups based in mosques.
In a written address, ASEAN Secretary-General Dato' Ajit Singh praised the event which is aimed at strengthening regional ties. The drive, he said, is significant as it is organized by "the leaders of tomorrow".
RISKA chairman Aryo Oetomo said the ASEAN Youth Moslem Informal Meeting will hopefully contribute to the establishment of stronger ties between ASEAN members.
A local Moslem leader, Imaduddin Abdulrahim, earlier cited estimates that the population of Malay-speaking Moslems alone will reach 200 million at the beginning of the 21st century.
A representative of Singh, Filino Harahap, said future meetings would hopefully include Vietnam, the newest member, which joined ASEAN only last month.
"Insya Allah (God willing), young Moslems from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will also join in your future meetings," Harahap said.
Today participants are scheduled to visit the Salman mosque in Bandung, a noted center of Islamic youth activities. They will then visit the state-owned IPTN aircraft factory, which recently launched the N250 aircraft.
"As the event is related to our 50 years of independence, we would like to share our achievements with the foreign delegates," Aryo said. (anr)